Calypso Reg for pony bottle?

[uncfnp]

My husband and I are planning to get pony bottles and regs from the LDS. They have recommended the Aqualung Calypso. We will not be doing aggressive dives. It's mostly for piece of mind, especially since we have been know to get separated (usual night dive or large group and yes I admit that I'm not always the most attentive buddy). Is the Calypso a good choice for us? Knowing that dive shops sell what they have, I wanted to get SBers opinion before we purchase. Thanks.

Lisa


Oh, and do we set them up for nitrox or air?

 

[cephasiii]

I will always buy Aqualung regulators. I own Titan, calypso octo and 5 legends. The Calypso is a decent Beginners regulator and will probably serve you well. However, it regulator is probably the most important piece of equipment you will own and I would not skimp on it if I had the means to buy a better regulator. I would look into at least the Titan LX if I was in the market for a interest level regulator. It will breathe great at any recreational level and it has ACD automatic closure device so it will stop the water from getting in the first stage.
Ultimately it is your call. But like I said if you're going to dive often then I would not buy a cheap regulator.

By the way you said you wanted a Calypso regulator for pony bottle. Are you doing decompression diving or just recreational diving and you need a primary first and second stage for your single back cylinder?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Fishpie]

It's a simple reliable regulator perfect for a pony reg.
Yes, there are higher performing regs out there but it's not ever going to see more than one person breathing from it at a time.
Kudos for your shop for not trying to sell you something you don't need.

....keep it simple and use air.

 

[The Chairman]

They would be great for a pony bottle!

 

[Paladin]

The old US Divers Aqua-Lung Aquarius from the 1970s also makes a good pony bottle reg. They are extremely simple (just one moving part), rugged and reliable. Bryan at Vintage Double Hose sells service kits for them and, best of all, they are super cheap to buy on Ebay. The Aquarius' performance is very similar, if not identical, to the Calypso. In fact, the current Calypso is pretty much an evolution of the older Aquarius.

The above said, my youngest son uses a Calypso as his primary dive reg and he likes it so much that he won't even consider getting another regulator.

---------- Post added February 3rd, 2013 at 02:36 PM ----------

After I wrote the above, I went on Ebay and found one of the relatively rare four port Aquarius first stages (from the '80s) in very good condition for $40. Of course I bought it. I love the old Aquarius and I like to keep a few around. They are so simple and easy to service, they make an excellent reg for divers who want to begin servicing their own regs. The Aquarius was designed to be serviced in the field with no special tools or equipment. I have serviced them with nothing more than a Swiss Army knife and an adjustable wrench! Except for the HP seat and sintered filter, all there is to replace are easy to find O-rings.

 

[NCadiver]

It's a good regulator for a pony bottle and I would set up for nitrox and use 36-40% in the cylinder.